?Chapter 133:


    Turning on her phone’s shlight, she scanned the area, sweeping the beam across the hallway until she spotted it in the corner. But the sight made her stomach drop—the bowly shattered, with soup sttered messily across the floor.


    Hadley released a slow, disappointed breath. “It’spletely ruined,” she muttered under her breath.


    Without hesitation, she turned away, reached for a mop, and set to work. It only made sense that she should be the one to clean up the mess.


    Still, she didn’t dwell on the spilled soup for long.


    By the next morning, she had put it out of her mind and arrived at the address Elvin had sent, stepping in right on time alongside a small group of other dance stand-ins.


    What she hadn’t expected was to see Adonis there as well, standing next to the choreographer.


    “I’ll make this quick,” he said, his tone brisk. “The choreographer and I have already discussed what I want to present. Every routine they’ve designed needs to be drilled until it’s wless. When the cameras roll…”


    “I don’t want a single pause.”


    Adonis had built his reputation on continuous takes, demanding that background dancers perform with the precision and stamina of Broadway productions, even for filming scenes in a single shot.


    “Yes, sir,” the girls replied in unison.


    Hadley gave herself a silent pep talk. She wasn’t nervous. As a dancer, her job was to execute every move with precision, and she was more than ready for it.


    From morning until well past midday, Hadley and the other girls pushed themselves to their limits under the choreographer’s watchful eye, sweating through every grueling sequence.


    Adonis’ expectations were nothing short of relentless. And this was just for the opening number—or so they’d been told.


    By the time the choreographer finally pped his hands and dismissed them, it was already past two in the afternoon.


    “Make sure you keep practicing when you get home. You all know exactly what Mr. Faulkner expects from you.”


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    “We will.”


    “Alright.”


    Hadley gathered up her belongings, pressing a hand to her stomach as it let out a low, impatient growl.


    They had been given boxed lunches earlier, but after dancing for hours on end, the energy from that meal had long since burned away. Now she had a decision to make—grab a burger nearby or drag herself home and make something for herself?


    The thought of cooking—though more economical—felt exhausting. She needed food immediately.


    Stopping by a fast-food ce nearby, she grabbed a burger, unwrapped it, and took a bite as she continued walking.


    “Hadley?”


    A voice suddenly called out to her. Pausing mid-bite, Hadley lifted her gaze.


    A middle-aged man stood a short distance away, watching her with an expression that made it seem like he thought she might disappear at any second.


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